After the Downfall
by PurpleStar1985
Summary: After Voldemort's death, what happens when Draco goes in search of a distraught Harry? PG-13 for some language and mention of rape. Yr is 2002. Set at the end of 6th year. Finally updated!
1. Hurting

Title-After the Downfall

Author-Angel of Darkness 4585

Rated-PG-13

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't recognise them from HP, they belong to me.

Summary- After Voldemort's death, what happens when Draco goes in search of a distraught Harry? PG-13 for some language. Set at the end of 6th year. Set in 2003.

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Chapter One- Hurting

Harry sat in the darkened classroom, alone, until he heard footsteps. He looked up, and green eyes locked onto silver.

"What do you want?" Harry said, bitterly, since, at the moment, he wanted nobody, so having his worst enemy there was like a nightmare.

"To talk to you." Draco replied, with only pity in his eyes.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you, so fuck off." Harry spat the words.

"Look, you need to talk to someone, so until Gra...Hermione shows up, I'm pretty much the only one to talk to." Draco said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"I've still got...um..." Harry trailed off, suddenly coming face to face with the fact that there was no-one else. They were gone. Tears appeared in his now-lifeless eyes, making them shine. He furiously wiped them away.

"You can cry you know, s'better than keeping it all hidden away." Draco said, walking over to Harry slowly. He looked, partly in horror, as the tears began to fall. He surprised both himself and Harry when he carefully wrapped his arms around Harry's slim form, trying to offer comfort to both boys, after the suffering each had gone through.

This was how their sixth year ended. Voldemort was dead, along with many Hogwarts students, mainly sixth and seventh years, including Ron, and all of Voldemort's followers, including Draco's family. Both boys were orphans now, and each had lost friends. They sat in silence for almost 10 minutes before either one spoke.

"Sorry about..." Draco paused, searching for the right name. "....Ron."

"Sorry about your parents."

Draco snorted at this. "Don't be. It's not like they ever cared about me, or even loved me. If my life had been half as perfect as I'd made it out to be, I'd have been very happy." He sighed thoughtfully. "Look, I just wanna say I'm sorry. For everything. I know I've never been nice to you, and I just hope that you can forgive me."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, as the past 6 years flashed through his mind. For the first five years, neither had been nice to the other, but in the last year, everyone had known the war was coming, they had tried to be at least civil to each other, and settle old disputes.

"Yeah, I can forgive you. I've never been nice to you either, so don't worry about it." He smiled a small smile.

The two seemed to strike up a friendship there and then, as neither had any friends around them. The only real friend of Harry's was Hermione, and he didn't know where she was. All of Draco's friends had been killed in the war.

The two began to talk, mainly about their lives, before and during their time at Hogwarts. Harry spoke first, he'd never told anyone about his life in the muggle world, except his two best friends.

"I live with my aunt and uncle, I have ever since I was a baby. They've always hated me because I was like my parents, although they never told me that. I found out I was a wizard on my 11th birthday, when Hagrid came and told me. Until I came to school, I lived in a cupboard under the stairs, and whenever I go back there, I have to do all of the chores, they do nothing. I only have to spend one more summer with them, then I'm kinda, free."

Draco was astounded by the wonder in Harry's voice about being free. He thought the Dursley family sounded terrible. He asked Harry what they were like.

"Well, every summer, when I get home, my uncle locks my school things under the stairs, I have a bedroom upstairs now. I get to keep my owl up there and I try to sneak my books up to do my homework at night time. My cousin lives to beat me up, and hurt me. I can't describe my aunt, I just hate them all. So, anyway, tell me about your life."

Draco looked worried for a moment. "It'll probably haunt you for life if you know."

"Please? I just want to get to know a new friend." Harry looked at him with puppy like eyes, and Draco gave in.

"Well, my father beat me, every holiday, he was so pissed that I didn't want to join THAT side. My mother, well, she....um.....right after Easter, she came into my room one night, and told me how worthless I was, and how I'd never find anyone to love me, so she would give me the experience just in case I never found anyone. Then.....she....um.......raped me." Draco's eyes were full of shame, horror and pain, as he shared his terrible secret, reliving the memory in his mind.


	2. Surviving

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't recognise them from HP, they belong to me.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Chapter Two- Surviving  
  
The two boys had sat in the classroom for almost an hour, most of that hour was sat in silence, both Harry and Draco reliving the war, and both thinking about Draco's confession. Harry couldn't believe it, all the time that he had thought HE had a bad life, at least he'd never been abused like Draco had. Mentally, sure, neglected, yes, but never abused like that.  
  
A small tapping noise made them both jump. A tiny grey owl was tapping against the window, obviously wanting to deliver something to one of them. As Harry opened the window, two small owls flew in, one went to Draco, one to Harry. They opened their letters, and Harry read his quickly.  
  
Harry, Could you please come to see me in my office.  
The password is 'Sugar Cubes'  
Professor Dumbledore  
PS- Padfoot is here also.  
  
Draco's letter was, save for the PS, exactly the same. The headmaster obviously didn't know the two were together, otherwise he would have sent one letter.  
  
Draco peeped over Harry's shoulder, wanting to know what Harry's letter said. "Who's Padfoot?" He asked curiously.  
  
"My godfather."  
  
"Who's your godfather?"  
  
"Sirius."  
  
"As in Black?" Harry gave confirmation of this. "Cool."  
  
The pair left the classroom, and made their way to Dumbledore's office. As they entered the room, they saw Dumbledore and Sirius. Harry had expected more teachers in the headmaster's office, but he was pleased that there was less people to talk to here.  
  
"Ah! Harry, Draco. I'm assuming the two of you were together when you received your letters. Harry, I believe Sirius has some news for you." There was a twinkle in the headmaster's eyes as he said this.  
  
"I'm free Harry! The Ministry have been seeking out a lot of Voldemort's followers since he was killed, and they got Pettigrew, and questioned him using Veritaserum, which cleared my name. I've got my family house back, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come and live with me, instead of those muggles."  
  
Harry was ecstatic. "Of course I want to come and live with you!" Then he had a sudden thought. Turning to Draco, then looking at the headmaster, Dumbledore knew what he was going to say.  
  
"Harry, don't worry, everyone else who needs somewhere to go will have somewhere." He was about to continue, when Sirius interrupted him.  
  
"Sorry Professor, but I just had a thought. Would it be okay for me to take Draco in as well? I have enough room, and I daresay Harry could use a friend over the summer. Only if they want to that is."  
  
Draco looked touched. "I'd love to stay Mr Black, it's very kind of you." He had impeccable manners when he wanted to use them. Three pairs of eyes turned towards Dumbledore, who was already nodding his head.  
  
Draco still couldn't understand why Sirius was inviting him to stay. Neither he nor Harry knew that Dumbledore had been telling Sirius that Draco had no family now.  
  
Draco had accepted the invitation, because Harry was the closest thing he had to a friend right now, maybe they would become proper friends over the summer and thereafter in their last year.  
  
Dumbledore looked at them and told them to go pack, that's what everyone else was doing anyway, and meet Sirius at the entrance hall in an hour.  
  
As Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room, he heard sobbing coming from a chair directly in front of the roaring fire. He walked over to the chair, and found Ginny sitting there, crying. He didn't have to ask what the matter was, he just pulled her into a hug, reassured her that Voldemort had gone forever, and he was so sorry about Ron, but he thought that Ron was a hero, and he would "always be watching over you Gin, always the protective older brother."  
  
He took her hand, and squeezed it. She smiled a very small smile through her tears, and they walked towards the dorms. He went to his, and she to hers, both to pack their things to leave.  
  
Draco meanwhile had returned to an empty dorm, and had collapsed onto his bed sobbing. Much as he had despised his parents over the years, oh he still had loved them, and now he had nobody. He cried for a while, and began to pack quickly. 


	3. Living

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't recognise them from HP, they belong to me.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Chapter Three- Living  
  
The three met at the front door to Hogwarts, and were taken to the station to catch the Hogwarts Express. While sitting in the warm compartment on the train, they heard the compartment door open, and they turned to see Hermione. Harry jumped up and threw his arms around her; all she could hear was some mumbling that she took to mean he was glad to see her. Then she spotted Draco. She muttered something in Harry's ear, and seemed fine when he replied. She greeted both Sirius and Draco with a smile.  
  
Harry saw the look on Draco's face as they emerged in London. What Sirius had neglected to tell the boys was that his house was in the muggle part of London, and Harry could not see Draco living as and around muggles.  
  
The house was huge, and, after a tour, each boy chose a room. With a few spells and wand waving, Harry had a red room, and Draco had a green room. Sirius looked at his room, and asked both boys what their favourite house colour was, and after a couple of quick spells, Sirius' room was gold and silver.  
  
Meanwhile, downstairs, chaos was happening. Draco was slowly discovering the delights of the muggle world.  
  
"Harry, what's this?" escaped Draco's lips every few seconds, then Harry barely had time to answer before he was asked the same question again. Draco seemed very interested in the computer.  
  
"That," Harry sighed, "is a computer. You wanna see how it works?" When Draco nodded, he continued. "Well, the computer is something that muggles sometimes use for writing, playing music and games, searching for stuff, reading, and drawing." He switched the computer on, but had to ask Sirius for the password. He had used a computer before, Dudley had one, and whenever his relatives were out, he would manage to sneak in a quick go. He looked at the desktop and pointed things out to Draco, who nodded, never having seen anything like this before, obviously it fascinated him, and he was eager to learn. Harry got onto the Internet, and visited his e-mail account, which had been set up at the Dursley home, but had never been found out by his relatives, who would probably do something very drastic if they knew he'd even touched their precious son's possessions. He had owled Hermione when he had set it up and she had e-mailed him to tell him her e- mail address.  
  
"You want an address? At least just for the summer?" Harry asked. Draco stared at him.  
  
"But, I thought Sirius' house was my summer address?" Draco said, looking somewhat confused. Harry laughed at this.  
  
"I mean an e-mail address! I mean, it's always nice to have one, at least one person will mail you."  
  
"Um, ok." Draco was still confused, but went along with it. Harry signed out, and loaded the registration page.  
  
"Now, just the actual address to do..what about this?" Draco nodded his approval, signed up, and then sent his very first e-mail to Hermione.  
  
~~# the e-mail #~~  
  
to- mione_granger@hotmail.com from- blonde_dragon@hotmail.com subject- look at me!!  
  
Hi Hermione, Harry has just helped me set up an e-mail account to use over the summer, and you are the only one he could think of that I could e-mail, so I hope you don't mind! Look, I didn't say it on the train, but I'm sorry for the way I've acted towards you all these years, and I hope you can forgive me and we can start again from scratch.  
  
See you soon.  
  
Draco.  
  
~~# end e-mail #~~  
  
Draco looked at Harry in amazement. "Wow! Look at me doing this!" He was like a five year old with a new toy, Harry noted while chuckling quietly to himself. He finally managed to persuade Draco to come off his e-mail, and showed him other things the computer could do. He loaded the programme that he could download music and other things onto, and explained it.  
  
Draco was now being more involved with all things muggle, and he loved it. As he and Harry listened to some muggle music, neither boy noticed Sirius watching them. He smiled at the two, glad that Dumbledore's plan was working. 


	4. Enjoying

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't recognise them from HP, they belong to me.  
  
Author's note- Yay!!! I've finally updated my story, I'm very happy! There will be more chapters soon, I promise!  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Chapter Four - Enjoying  
  
Harry and Draco had been on holiday for a month now, it was July, Harry was going to be 17 in a few weeks. Draco had turned 17 in February, and, at the beginning of the holiday, Sirius had suggested that both Draco and Harry get passports, and send off for driving licenses. Harry had asked why, and Sirius had told him 'You never know when you might need a passport or when you might need to drive a car.' What Harry and Draco didn't know was that in three weeks time, the three of them were going on a holiday to America for Harry's birthday.  
  
For once, Harry was really looking forward to his birthday, even though he didn't know that he was going to New York to celebrate. Sirius knew that he had never had a proper holiday, not living with those monsters.  
  
He had often wondered how two sisters, Petunia and Lily, could be so different. One a muggle, one a witch, but were they really so different? Both had married, both had had one son, born within months of each other. But, while Petunia had been given the opportunity to have more children, she chose not to, or was unable to, he didn't know. But Sirius had known that Lily and James wanted at least three children. Lily had always said that she wanted a boy and two girls. She'd once confessed to him that she'd already picked out names for all of her children, this was before she became pregnant. She'd wanted three children, named Harry, Amelia and Zoë.  
  
Sirius had always planned to tell Harry this, but had never been able to find the moment, as Harry was always with a friend. He realised he had the perfect chance this summer. He could tell Harry how many times he'd sat up late, wondering about things. Would Harry be famous if his parents were still alive? Would he have two younger sisters called Amelia and Zoë if Voldemort hadn't killed his parents? No-one could answer those questions.  
  
Harry however, was too busy thinking about things of a different nature to really notice that his godfather was quiet. Harry was trying to figure out his sexuality.  
  
He'd always admired boys/men of his own age, in his house, in his school, but he'd also liked girls for a while too. He was so confused. There wasn't even a friend to talk about it with, he didn't really want to discuss it with Draco, he didn't know why. However his concentration was broken by Draco wandering into the room, looking at the two, silent occupants of the kitchen, grabbing a drink, and walking out again. He almost jumped when Sirius broke the silence.  
  
"Harry, when Draco goes back to his house tomorrow to get his other things, could we have a sort of. . . godfather to godson chat?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Why?"  
  
"I've just got some things I want to talk about with you."  
  
"Okay. I think I might go to the cinema this afternoon, there's a film Draco and I want to see. You want to come with us?"  
  
"No, that's okay, you two go. Bring me back some sweets or popcorn though, 'kay?"  
  
"Yep." And with that, Harry went to shower and get ready.  
  
Sirius cursed himself for falling for the muggle sweets available in London. He had a particular liking for jellybeans. While not every flavour, at least you always knew that you'd get a flavour you liked. He had to prepare himself now to tell Harry everything that he wanted to tell him, had wanted to tell him since he'd met his godson in Harry's third year. Now Harry was going into his seventh year. He'd grown up so fast, Sirius could hardly believe it. His godson was almost 17 years old.  
  
In the past year or so, Harry had matured so much. He'd shot up, he was as tall as Draco, and a little taller than Ron, he was around 5'11". His face had got less round, his features were more defined. During his first summer with Sirius, he'd decided he'd like to try contact lenses, and he now wore them almost permanently. He'd got some clothes which actually fitted him, rather than Dudley's old cast-offs. He had such a good eye for style, he and Draco were a good friendship match, which was surprising considering their history.  
  
Draco had changed also, not a lot. But he had got taller, and his face was thinner. He had changed in himself since he had arrived at the Black house. He was finally completely happy, after years of pain and suffering, like Harry. 


	5. Talking

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't recognise them from HP, they belong to me.  
  
Author's note: Wow! I'm really surprised how long this chapter is, I just kept typing and I couldn't think of a good place to stop!! Hope you enjoy!  
  
Chapter Five-Talking  
  
Draco travelled by Floo the next morning, back to his old house. He told Harry and Sirius that he would be about two hours; he had a lot to sort out. He'd sworn he would be fine; he couldn't be in danger since there were so many spells surrounding the house. Harry saw him off, trying to think of a good way to drop the words 'Be careful' casually into the conversation. Instead, he shouted the two words as the green flames swallowed Draco.  
  
Once Draco had gone, Harry went to find his godfather. He had sounded solemn when he had mentioned a chat. Harry wondered what was up.  
  
He found Sirius in the kitchen, making a drink.  
  
"Hey." Harry said.  
  
"Harry! Do you want a drink?"  
  
"No thanks. Um, Sirius? You said yesterday you wanted to talk to me about stuff?"  
  
Sirius' smile faded. "Yeah. I thought you might like to hear some things about your parents, if you wanted to. Then maybe, we can talk about other stuff, I've never been able to speak to you for more than a few minutes in the three years I've known you. We don't know each other that well, do we?"  
  
Harry grinned at this. "Nope! But, yeah, I'd love to hear stuff about my parents."  
  
Sirius took a deep breath. This could be hard for both of them. "I used to talk to your mother, just like we're talking now; we used to talk about anything that came into our heads, usually while your dad was at work. She told me once, that she wanted three children, a boy and two girls." He smiled sorrowfully. "She even had names chosen for her three children."  
  
Harry was curious. "What were the names?"  
  
"The boy was going to be called Harry, and she wanted her two girls to be called Zoë and Amelia. I've often sat up asking questions, they were never answered of course, but it made me feel better to ask. I wondered if you would be famous if your parents weren't killed, and would you have two little sisters? Would you have been a weaker person if your parents were still alive?"  
  
Harry answered this question for his godfather. "Possibly. Think about it, the only thing that made me strong was having to stand up for myself all the time. At the Dursley's, at school, when I met Voldemort.  
  
Sirius didn't know what to say to this. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, before Sirius spoke again.  
  
"So, tell me some things about you. What do you like doing, what don't you like, your favourite food, colour, smell, etc."  
  
Harry was surprised at how quickly they had jumped from his parents to him. He was quiet for a moment, thinking about his answers.  
  
"Um, well, I like flying, playing Quidditch, spells, and muggle stuff, like computers, TV, films, that kind of thing. Um... I don't like Snape a whole lot," Sirius laughed out loud at this, "But I like Potions lessons. My favourite food is strawberry ice cream, my favourite colour is blue, my favourite smell....I don't actually have one." He was quiet for a second, before his next speech seemed to burst from him. "AndIthinkIkindalikeguysnotgirls."  
  
Sirius was quiet for a second while he deciphered this. He looked at Harry, and could tell how hard that had been to say. He smiled, a reassuring smile, and held out his arms. Harry had never been hugged before, except from a couple of people like Hermione and Hagrid. It was nice, comfortable, like they'd known each other for years. One of the things Harry had always wanted most was to remember a hug from one of his parents, and this felt like it.  
  
"So do you like anyone at the moment?" Sirius asked, whilst Harry's head was buried in his shoulder.  
  
The muffled reply sounded similar to "Yes, I fancy Draco." But Sirius wasn't sure.  
  
Harry looked up at his godfather, and spoke. "So, come on, I want to know about you."  
  
Sirius thought for a while. He'd lived in Azkaban for the past decade and a half, and had only been free a few weeks, so he was still discovering things he liked.  
  
"Well, I'm still not sure what I like, Harry, I haven't lived my life for so long. But I'll give it a go. I like spending time with the only family I have, and I like television and things like that too. I don't like being alone, I've had enough of that. I mean, I'm okay when everyone's asleep, but when everyone's awake, and I'm lonely, that's when I remember things I'd rather not remember."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like going to visit my godson one night and finding his parents dead, and feeling so scared that all I could do was run. Or remembering Azkaban. That's not so bad though, because I then remember that I kept my sanity throughout that time, while many others didn't."  
  
Harry felt sorry for Sirius; he couldn't begin to imagine the things he'd gone through. Sure, he'd battled the greatest dark wizard that ever lived, many a time, but each time he'd won. He'd survived 10 years with his horrible family, but again he was fine. But, seeing two people you loved very much, dead, he couldn't imagine that.  
  
Sirius spoke again. "Anyway, my favourite food is chicken, and my favourite colour is red. I love the smell of fresh air, most would say it has no smell, but you try being holed up in prison for a decade or so then you co out into the fresh air. It has a smell then."  
  
Harry smiled at this. He looked at his godfather, happy that he had someone after all these years that he was proud to call family.  
  
The two were still sitting in the kitchen, arguing over television and films, when Draco arrived home. He wandered back into the kitchen, and looked at the scene before him, a family scene, filled with love, tears came to his eyes. Harry looked up, and saw the pain in Draco's eyes, just before he bolted up to his room. Harry looked at Sirius, whose own eyes simply said 'go after him'.  
  
Harry raced after his friend, and arrived at Draco's room just as the door slammed. He knocked on the door, and heard a faint "Go away." he knocked even harder and called through to Draco.  
  
"What's wrong? Let me in, Draco, and we can talk." As the lock clicked to open, Harry turned the door handle and entered the room.  
  
"Hey." His voice was calming, soft. Draco looked up. Harry saw his red eyes and walked over to the bed, and sat on the edge. "What's up Draco, why are you upset?" Another sob was his answer. Harry put his arms around his friend, and hugged him close.  
  
When Draco's sobs subsided, Harry asked again why he was crying. Draco looked at him, the hurt still evident in his eyes.  
  
"This'll sound so petty Harry, but when I saw you and Sirius downstairs, like a family, it was a reminder of what I don't have anymore, what I've lost."  
  
Harry didn't know what to say to this. He wasn't very good at comforting people. He just hugged Draco again. Sirius called up the stairs that lunch was ready, and Harry left Draco to compose himself before coming downstairs. Harry told Sirius why Draco was upset before said person entered the room.  
  
Sirius looked over at the paler boy during lunch, and spoke. "Draco, I just wanted you to know that this is your home too. I wasn't sure at first, but now you're part of the family too, not just me and Harry." Harry looked at Draco, who was now smiling.  
  
"That's one of the nicest things I've ever been told. Thanks Sirius. But, I have to ask, why weren't you sure at first?"  
  
"Because I'd heard about the way you two were with each other, but Dumbledore had this weird plan that putting you two together over the summer would make you become friends. As it was, you already seemed to be friends when you arrived in his study, so the plan was already working."  
  
"Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me." Draco looked at Harry, who seemed as surprised as he was at this revelation. The three chatted for a while until they had finished eating.  
  
Draco and Harry went to play on the computer after lunch, arguing over which game to play as usual. Draco wanted to play a car racing game, while Harry was very fond of 'The Sims'. They decided instead to use the Internet.  
  
Draco checked his e-mail first. There were some junk mail ones, and one from Hermione.  
  
~~# the e-mail #~~  
  
To: blonde_dragon@hotmail.com From: mione_granger@hotmail.com Subject: Re: Look at me!  
  
Hey Draco.  
  
Just a short note to say I forgive you. We weren't always nice to you either. Of course we can start from scratch, let's see. I'm Hermione Granger, I'm 17, and I live in London with my parents. It's nice to meet you.  
  
Anyway, see you soon Draco, I have to go and e-mail Harry now.  
  
From Hermione xx  
  
~~# end e-mail #~~  
  
Harry smiled at this, it seemed as though Draco and Hermione were going to get along just fine. He then opened his e-mail account, to read his e-mail from his best friend.  
  
~~# the e-mail #~~  
  
To: harry_james_potter@hotmail.com From: mione_granger@hotmail.com Subject: Meeting up?  
  
Hi Harry. I was just wondering when we can meet up in Diagon Alley? It'll have to be after your birthday, because we don't get our letters till then. I can't believe we're going to be 7th years! It's a shame Ron won't be able to be there, but he'll be in our hearts, don't you think? Harry, I have to go now, but I'll phone you soon, if you can give me the phone number. Love to you, Draco and Sirius, see you soon.  
  
Love, Hermione xxx  
  
~~# end e-mail #~~  
  
Harry smiled at his own e-mail, even though he felt a pang of sadness when he thought of Ron. Draco seemed to sense this, and gave Harry a quick hug.  
  
The boys were still playing on the computer when Sirius called them for dinner. 


	6. Loving

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't recognise them from HP, they belong to me.

Author's note: I got my first flame! Woohoo!

Anon-If you are reading this:  
  
You could have had the decency and courage to use your real name in your review, then I might have taken you more seriously. One question: Have you read some of the other Harry Potter stories out there? My story is tame compared to some of those. If you don't have anything nice or constructive to say, then you shouldn't bother reviewing at all. I'm sorry if you didn't like my story, but tough. And there isn't that much swearing. I believe my summary does state 'rated PG-13 for language', so if you don't like stories with swearing in, it was there to warn you beforehand.  
  
On with chapter six!

Chapter Six- Loving

Over the next couple of weeks, Harry's crush on Draco grew slowly, he still treated him as a friend, but in his head, he imagined them being more.

Harry had his first nightmare three days before they left for America.

Harry's nightmare

Harry was in a dark room, facing Voldemort again. This didn't scare him; he knew he could beat Voldemort. It was who his wand was aimed at that scared Harry. Draco stood in front of the Dark Lord himself, his wand ready to strike.

"Scared, Potter?" Voldemort sneered, his words mirroring those of Draco's, years ago. Except, this time, Harry was scared.

"He'll be first, then you." Voldemort spoke the curse, almost joyfully, and as Harry saw the green light that signalled death hurtling towards Draco, he shouted out loud.

end

Draco was still up, reading, when he heard Harry talking quietly in his sleep. Smiling slightly, he quickly walked to Harry's door. He got the shock of his life when the silence in the hallway was shattered by a shout.

"No...I love him!!"

Draco rushed through the door, and saw Harry fighting something in his sleep. He ran to the bed and tried to wake Harry up.

Harry awoke to find Draco shaking his shoulders, ordering him to wake up. Feeling overwhelmed by the dream, he hugged Draco tightly.

Sirius rushed into the room, having heard his godson shout, and ran to comfort him as well.

Harry was slightly embarrassed that he had woken the household up, and assured them that he was fine. Both his friend and his godfather knew this was not entirely true, but they left all the same. Draco made a vow to ask Harry about his dream in the morning.

When Harry awoke the next morning, he remembered his dream, and the fact that he had shouted in his sleep. Hopefully Draco had not heard any of what he had said.

He dressed, and turned to leave the room. Draco was stood there, a curious expression on his face.

"Harry? Um, about last night. You said 'No, I love _him._' Who were you talking about?"

Harry stood still, shocked that Draco had heard what he had said. He had to think fast, did he want to tell the truth? He decided to lie, at least for now.

"I don't know, all I knew was that it was a 'he' I don't know who it was, it could have been Sirius, I'm not sure."

"Oh, okay." Did Draco look disappointed? Harry wasn't sure, but it gave him a glimmer of hope.

When the boys went downstairs, Harry noticed something by his plate. It was a long white envelope with his name on it. Looking at Sirius, Harry spoke.

"Sirius, what's this?"

"Open it, find out. It's a sort of early birthday present."

Harry opened the envelope to find another envelope and a card. He read what the card said. 'To Harry, this is a present mainly for you, but a little bit for Draco and me too. Hope you enjoy it and have lots of fun. Love, Sirius'

Harry opened the second envelope, feeling two pairs of eyes watching him. Out fell three airline tickets, to New York. The tickets were for a flight in two days, and then in another three days, it would be Harry's birthday. Harry looked at Draco.

"Did you know anything about this?"

"No, what is it?"

We're going to New York, can you believe it!"

Draco looked horrified. "I have to go pack!!" With that, he jumped up from the table, hugged both Sirius and Harry, and then ran upstairs.

Harry looked amused. "He is so damn vain! I mean, we're not going for another two days; you and I can pack tomorrow.

Sirius looked embarrassed. "I've actually already packed." Harry sighed at this, and spoke again, looking a little ashamed this time.

"Okay, okay, so he's not as vain as I thought. I guess I may as well pack too."

Harry trudged up the stairs again, only to find a new suitcase on his bed. He didn't have a lot of clothes really, so he decided a trip into London was necessary. Before he could step out of his bedroom, Draco walked in front of him.

"Harry, I've been thinking." Harry opened his mouth to reply, a cheeky glint in his eye. "And before you say anything, no, it did not hurt. I have a couple of suspicions that I want to talk to you about." Harry looked decidedly wary at this point, but he allowed himself to be pulled down to sit on the floor.

"I think that a) you like me, and b) you were dreaming about me last night, so I shall say this only once, then you can make up your mind what to do with the information I'm going to give you. "He leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear. "I rather like you myself." And, placing a fast, yet gentle kiss on Harry's cheek, he was gone, running back to his room.

Harry was stunned. So much so in fact, that it took him 15 minutes before he could even stand up, and pack the few items he had. He went downstairs, and told Sirius that he was going shopping, and he wouldn't be back in time for lunch.

Harry wandered in and out of shops, still in a bit of a daze. He couldn't believe that Draco liked him!! He thought this for a while, until his daze suddenly disappeared, leaving only pure joy. He had a grin on his face for the rest of the afternoon.

Harry returned home that afternoon, his shopping weighing him down. He left his bags by the door, and went into the dining room for dinner. Once dinner was over he showed Draco and Sirius everything that he had bought. Toiletries, shirts, shorts, jeans, t-shirts, underwear, socks, and a pair of trainers.

Draco followed him upstairs, dragging a few bags behind him. Harry dropped the bags he had just inside his door, and turned around. He looked at Draco, and smiled.

"I thought about what you said this morning." Harry spoke in a soft, quiet voice, it almost sounded seductive.

"And? What did you think?"

"This."

Harry leant over, and placed his lips on Draco's. Both boys were surprised. Draco was surprised that Harry had the guts to kiss him, and Harry was surprised at how soft Draco's lips were.

When they pulled apart, arms still around each other, Harry looked at Draco. "You didn't think I would have the guts to do that, did you?"

"Well, no."Draco admitted. "But I'm very glad you did."

With that, they sat in the same spot as the chat earlier that morning, and began talking, and they threw in a little kissing as well.

Next chapter... Harry has another nightmare; will Draco be able to comfort him?

Thanks to all my reviewers:

Alquamor-Thanks for reviewing, but sorry, it is slash!

Lucky Ben Babe- Glad you like! Thanks for the JKR comment, much appreciated!

Tig- Thanks very much!

Katy- Dumbledore's plan has now been mentioned Hun, thanks for reviewing; I hope you are still enjoying the story!

Fuzzious- Draco will NOT be going evil in my story! Thanks for reviewing though Hun!

Freya- Your review confused me Hun, but thanks all the same!

Sara Walgreens- Thanks for reviewing!

Cal- Thanks for your encouraging review!

Sweet A.K- Thanks, I still have to plot the America trip, hope you like!

Soccer-chick250- Thanks for reviewing!


	7. Flying

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't recognise them from HP, they belong to me. I also don't own any shops, or shop chains, such as The Disney Store.

Chapter Seven- Flying

It was hard to conceal something from Sirius Black, Harry and Draco discovered that on the morning of their trip. They had been giving each other their good morning kiss, when Sirius burst into the room.

"I knew it! Remus owes me!" Seeing the two confused faces, he continued. "Oh, we had a bet on when you two would get together. I said it would be before your birthday, Remus said after you went back to school. Anyway, the taxi will be here in a few minutes, so you should get your suitcases downstairs."

Draco turned to his new boyfriend, and kissed him again. "I guess we'd better go downstairs, love. Do you need help with your case?"

"Only if you'll shrink it for me, I can't do that yet." Draco obliged, and did the same to his own case.

Harry and Draco then carried their cases downstairs. Once downstairs, the pair added their luggage to Sirius' case, and then Draco made them normal size again.

Sirius was sitting in the kitchen, thinking things over. He was so pleased Harry was happy, finally, although it would take a while to get over the death of his best friend. And Draco seemed a lot happier as well, something in that boy's life must have been horrible; his eyes had always held a haunted quality.

Harry came in, and informed him the taxi was there, before giving him a hug, and whispering "Thank you." Sirius wanted to ask what for, but he was cut off before he asked. "For everything. For giving us a home, for being there for me when I wanted to talk, for the trip, and also for being so understanding about me and Draco.

Sirius smiled at his godson, before racing him to the front door. Harry was slowly discovering that his godfather was very much like a child sometimes.

The taxi ride was uneventful. The driver was fairly talkative, asking many questions. Harry was surprised when Sirius claimed he was Harry and Draco's uncle, and that they were cousins. Sirius had told Harry he was unlikely to be recognised in America, although Harry was dubious about this. Harry nudged Draco, who had been unusually quiet throughout the journey, and asked him if he was ok. Draco lied and said he was fine. The truth was, Draco was nervous. He'd never travelled by plane before, it was a little unnerving.

It was a very short ride to the airport, and after checking their bags in, they went through to the shops. Draco was fine here, he loved to shop. He decided he liked the airport so far; there were so many muggle shops! He especially liked one called 'The Disney Store'. There were so many cute characters! Harry couldn't believe he had never encountered a Disney film before. And Draco had no idea what McDonalds was either. Harry knew what it was, although he'd never been allowed one, the Dursley's preferred to leave him in the car while he was forced to watch them eat. Sirius, in typical Sirius fashion, had to let them experience McDonalds, and dragged them straight there.

After enjoying McDonalds, and shopping some more, it was time to go to the departure lounge. Draco became slightly more nervous when he saw the plane they were travelling on, it was so big.

"Harry?" Draco said, pulling on Harry's sleeve just as a child would. "How does that thing go up in the air? It's so big."

"Well, I don't exactly know, but it's really safe, I promise. I reckon you're going to love it." Harry had never travelled in the air either, but he'd learned about aeroplane trips from classmates when he was younger, so he had some idea of what they were like.

Draco still looked nervous, but he nodded in understanding. They sat down in the departure lounge, and waited for their seat numbers to be called. Harry started tapping his feet in impatience, slightly annoying Draco. Sirius didn't notice, he was reading a guidebook.

"If you don't stop that," Draco warned Harry, "I might have to do something to stop you."

Harry raised a curious eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

Draco smirked. "Use your imagination."

Before Harry had a chance to think about what Draco would do, and what he'd _like _Draco to do, an announcement came over the tannoy.

"Good afternoon passengers on flight VS5, flying to New York JFK airport with us this afternoon. At this moment we would like to invite only passengers who are sitting in rows 55 to 65 to please make your way to the boarding desk. Thank you and enjoy your flight with Virgin Atlantic."

Sirius nudged Harry. "That's us, come on." Considering his godfather's usual nature, Harry was surprised not to see him leaping around like a mad thing. Harry in turn nudged Draco. They all grabbed backpacks, and made their way to the desk. Within 10 minutes, they were sat on the plane, with Sirius by the window, complaining about the lack of legroom, and Harry and Draco eagerly searching in their free bags for cool stuff.

Draco was slowly pulling everything out, putting it all on the table in front of him. "Toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, weird things, paper, earplugs and.... Harry, what's this?"

Harry looked at the object that had been thrust beneath his nose, and grinned. "It's a biro, Dray. And those other 'weird things' are headphones."

Draco's face was a picture of confusion as he looked at the headphones, turning them over and over, whilst he did the same thing with the pen. Harry watched him, before he decided to help him.

"Draco, press the end of the biro until it clicks." Draco did. "Now use it like you would a quill."

"But there's no ink." Draco was perplexed.

"The ink's in there already. Give it a try."

Draco pressed onto the paper, slowly writing. He was slightly awed. The things Muggles came up with!

They heard the captain speaking, and watched a safety video. Draco worried even more. But before he knew it, the plane was up in the air.

The flight was rather boring to all of them. After the initial fun wore of, it was rather a dull feeling. Harry and Draco were watching films, and Sirius was reading a book. It seemed to take forever before they were told that the plane was coming into land.

This was when Harry, Draco and Sirius started to get excited. They were in New York City! Well, almost anyway. They did have to catch the subway from the airport to where they were staying.

They felt the wheels of the plane touch down. Then they heard the captain again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to New York."

A/N – I'm sorry this has taken me so long to update. I have had writer's block for a while. I was also gathering research for this story in the form of visiting New York!

Thanks to my reviewers: Stampedelover, Forfirith, Munch Bunch Mummy, Pilas, and Elebereth – sorry to have kept you all waiting for so long!


	8. Travelling

Disclaimer- Harry and co are not from my imagination, they come from the great mind that is J.K Rowling. If you see any characters and don't identify them from HP, they belong to me. I also don't own any shops, shop chains, and restaurants.

Chapter Eight –

The three males entered the baggage reclaim area in JFK Airport. Sirius, being slightly older, was tired, while Harry and Draco had seemingly unending energy. They were all glad that they were only there for 7 nights, and so didn't really have too much luggage. Especially since Sirius had insisted that they do the trip 'the Muggle way'. They knew that they had to get to the subway station, and get to

58th Street.

They enquired at the information desk, where a bored looking employee told them to take the airtrain. He pointed the way, and they walked outside, following the airtrain signs. The Airtrain was like a monorail, which appeared to circle all of the airport terminals and go to and from the nearest subway station. They caught this, and when they arrived at the airtrain station, they all paid their fares, and Sirius paid for three 7-day subway passes. They then made their way to the subway station.

"So, to get to 72nd Street, it looks like we have to get a subway three stops, then change and go another two stops. Simple!" Sirius exclaimed, looking at his guidebook. Harry and Draco exchanged a glance, and smiled. The first thing they all saw when they arrived was the large sign instructing them to watch their luggage. They stepped onto the escalator, which had become Draco's new favourite way of going up and downstairs.

The subway train was along in a few moments, and the three of them were soon hurtling along under the city, loving every minute. Three stops later, they emerged into another station, and looked at the sign. Sirius consulted his book.

"Well, I can't see this station anywhere on this map." He sounded slightly put out.

"Why don't we just get on the next train-thingy that comes along, and get out when we see a stop that is in the book?" Draco asked.

The next train was soon pulling in, and this time, they spent a long while on the subway train. Finally, they saw the stop they needed, and hopped out. Harry was now the one in charge of the guidebook.

"Okay, so we need to go uptown two stops to 72nd Street." They looked, and found they needed the platform on the other side, so they hauled their suitcases up some stairs, then down the other side, and looked at the signs suspended from the ceiling. They waited for about 5 minutes, and a train pulled in. All the passengers piled into the carriages, and Harry noticed that this carriage was in a lot better shape than the train they had just got off. The train stopped at the next stop, and Harry whispered to Draco that it was the next stop.

But, the train didn't stop at the station. They whizzed through on the middle track. Draco turned to Harry, looking panicked.

"It was supposed to stop!"

A large woman sitting opposite them spoke up. "This is an express train honey; don't stop 'til 125th now."

Harry looked over to her. "How come we got onto an express train?"

"Well, did you not notice the signs in the station you got on at as you came down the stairs? They should be two signs, one points to one side of the platform for the local service, one points to the express side. Usually the express trains will be the two tracks in the middle. If a station has four tracks, but it only has platforms for two tracks, the trains in the middle will usually be express trains that don't stop there."

Harry, Draco and Sirius had only just managed to take all of this in. The must have still looked dumbfounded, because the woman offered to show them where they needed to go. They very gratefully accepted.

Finally, they reached 125th Street, and exited the subway train. They then had to haul their luggage up more stairs, and the woman followed them to the top of the next set of stairs. She pointed to the signs saying 'Express' and 'Local', and the three males thanked her profusely.

Sirius, Harry and Draco finally made it to their hotel, and checked in. They were in the same room, and after checking the hotel out, they decided to brave the subway again and go out for something to eat. Harry and Draco wanted to go to Planet Hollywood. Harry had looked in the book, and had looked at the subway map they had picked up when they had checked in.

"It's very simple. We have to go back to where we got off the subway, and go downtown four stops on the orange line, then we have to get the yellow like uptown three stops."

They were discussing this as they went downstairs in the lift, when a man in the lift turned to them.

"Excuse me? I couldn't help overhearing. You know if you go a block in the other direction to the orange and blue line station, you come to a red line station? I wondered if that might help you instead?"

Harry grabbed the book back from Draco, who looked slightly annoyed, as he had been looking for stuff to do the next day. Harry then looked at the subway map in the back.

"Thank you, that way is better. We didn't know about that station."

"No problem."

They exited the lift, and turned left outside the hotel, and sure enough, they came to a station on the red line. The train was soon pulling out of the station, and Harry, Draco and Sirius found negotiating the station change a lot easier without heavy suitcases.

They soon pulled into the station they needed, and stepped onto the platform. Harry and Draco grinned at each other: they were about to get their first taste of New York City life!

A/N – so, this chapter was loosely based on my first subway trip from JFK airport back in September. This did actually happen to me, although I was going to 103rd street, and I was alone at 8 at night!

Anyone who has the HP-POA DVD (possibly just in the UK) – is it me or have they cut even more of it for the DVD? I felt there were bits missing that I'm sure I saw in the cinema.

Thanks so much to the chapter 7 reviewers!

Immortal Tears of – Thank you! I hope this chapter feeds your chapter hunger for a little while!

Deathangelofdarkness – Thanks! I like your name!

Queen Zephora Yami – Thank you!

SmoothNcreamy- Thanks!

Elebereth – thank you!


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